SAN FRANCISCO – If USGA executive director Mike Davis has his way, the record low scores at last year's U.S. Open at Congressional are unlikely to travel to the West Coast.
Davis said Monday at San Francisco's majestic Olympic Club that the course will be "the hardest start in a U.S. Open" when players tee off June 14. The unleveled Lake Course in the serene setting just across the street from the Pacific Ocean will play at 7,170 yards — 373 yards longer than the last time the tournament hosted the national championship in 1998 — including the 670-yard 16th that could be the longest Par 5 in Open history.
Windy conditions and the threat of the city's famous fog also could make the hilly course even tougher.